Donor Spotlight: Mark and Melanie Anderson

Mark and Melanie Anderson were welcomed into the Blue Hawk family in 2020, when their oldest son Max Anderson (’24) started his freshman year at Dickinson State University (DSU). Max was one of the first athletes to sign to the newly restarted DSU Baseball program, so the Andersons were ready and willing to cheer on their son and the team, traveling for fall and spring games across the country. In 2021 their second son Matt (’25) joined the DSU Football program. After experiencing the Blue Hawk family atmosphere and watching their sons excel, the Andersons felt called to support others by creating a scholarship.

“We understand all too well the personal sacrifice and commitment required to succeed in college and college athletics,” said the Andersons. “This education and experiences have propelled Max into a solid career, and Matt into pursuit of Doctor of Chiropractic. None of this would have been possible if they had also been required to work outside jobs to help cover educational expenses.” The Andersons decided to support scholarship students pursuing careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) respecting the problem-solving skills students gain from those fields of study. From their scholarship recipients, the Andersons hope to see the “desire to help others, resilience to overcome challenges, initiative, and community mindedness.”

“Mark and Melanie have always found a way to make an impact not only for them but for the other student-athletes on their team. Working with the Anderson family to create their named scholarship and endowment was a special one for me,” said Kyle Smith, DSU Heritage Foundation Development Officer for Athletics and Rodeo.

Even with Max and Matt graduated, the Andersons look forward to the DSU football games, where they have made lifelong friends through cheering on the Blue Hawks alongside families, DSU faculty, staff, administrators, and the Dickinson community. With their daughter set to graduate high school in May, the Andersons are making as many family memories as they can before becoming ‘empty nesters’ by gathering for holidays and events and taking vacations as a family.

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Written by Sarah Griffis – DSU HF Content Writer